Imperial vs Oxbridge

Heya! I'm in Y12 deciding which unis to apply to, and I am a bit torn here...
Personally the main factors I've been using as a means of deciding which unis I would like to go to are that I love clinical contact (so I'd really like to have that from the beginning) and I REALLLYY would lovee to do research. In terms of other stuff, there being an active Islamic Soc means a lot to me, and alsoo I'm obsessed with historical places which is why the London location is quite meh for me.

I visited Imperial at the recent open day and thought the course seemed amazing! I don't think I quite picked up how much clinical experience there is in the first year though... But there is definitely a huge emphasis on research which really suits me. The thing that puts me off with London unis is the city location though. The campus we saw was the South Kensington one which is actually a lovely location, but do medical students specifically spend a lot of time there?

The issue with oxbridge is the lack of clinical experience for 3 years for me, and also that, for personal reasons, I have to commute from home for uni and it'll be quite difficult for me to do otherwise, which doesn't work for oxbridge since you need to be on campus, right? But I love the location and their emphasis on research!

Long story short, if anyone who goes to imperial or oxbridge for med has any advice they could share about their experience at either of the unis, it would be really helpful! Thanks

Heya! I'm in Y12 deciding which unis to apply to, and I am a bit torn here...
Personally the main factors I've been using as a means of deciding which unis I would like to go to are that I love clinical contact (so I'd really like to have that from the beginning) and I REALLLYY would lovee to do research. In terms of other stuff, there being an active Islamic Soc means a lot to me, and alsoo I'm obsessed with historical places which is why the London location is quite meh for me.

I visited Imperial at the recent open day and thought the course seemed amazing! I don't think I quite picked up how much clinical experience there is in the first year though... But there is definitely a huge emphasis on research which really suits me. The thing that puts me off with London unis is the city location though. The campus we saw was the South Kensington one which is actually a lovely location, but do medical students specifically spend a lot of time there?

The issue with oxbridge is the lack of clinical experience for 3 years for me, and also that, for personal reasons, I have to commute from home for uni and it'll be quite difficult for me to do otherwise, which doesn't work for oxbridge since you need to be on campus, right? But I love the location and their emphasis on research!

Long story short, if anyone who goes to imperial or oxbridge for med has any advice they could share about their experience at either of the unis, it would be really helpful! Thanks

Heya! I'm in Y12 deciding which unis to apply to, and I am a bit torn here...
Personally the main factors I've been using as a means of deciding which unis I would like to go to are that I love clinical contact (so I'd really like to have that from the beginning) and I REALLLYY would lovee to do research. In terms of other stuff, there being an active Islamic Soc means a lot to me, and alsoo I'm obsessed with historical places which is why the London location is quite meh for me.

I visited Imperial at the recent open day and thought the course seemed amazing! I don't think I quite picked up how much clinical experience there is in the first year though... But there is definitely a huge emphasis on research which really suits me. The thing that puts me off with London unis is the city location though. The campus we saw was the South Kensington one which is actually a lovely location, but do medical students specifically spend a lot of time there?

The issue with oxbridge is the lack of clinical experience for 3 years for me, and also that, for personal reasons, I have to commute from home for uni and it'll be quite difficult for me to do otherwise, which doesn't work for oxbridge since you need to be on campus, right? But I love the location and their emphasis on research!

Long story short, if anyone who goes to imperial or oxbridge for med has any advice they could share about their experience at either of the unis, it would be really helpful! Thanks

I spoke to some Oxford med students on my WEX, they kept saying that the course was very much geared towards those who want to do research and not as much towards patient care, so you probably want to decide which of clinical work or research you'd rather do to get the most out of your time, although that said, you can obviously work clinically with a degree from Oxbridge, or work in research with a degree from Imperial. Also be prepared for the fact that Oxbridge and Imperial will require very high BMAT scores (and other factors that vary between them), so it's not worth having your heart set on these, especially since you will be applying blind, without knowing your BMAT score! Personally I chose 2 UCAT, 2 BMAT, with one aspirational choice (Oxford), 2 more realistic choices (BSMS, St A) and one safe (Keele), I did worse in my BMAT on the day than in practice so didn't get an interview form Oxford, but got offers from BSMS (BMAT) and Keele. Some people will naturally be good at traditional/BMAT-style exams, and if that's you, you might be able to pull off 2 applications to the more competitive BMAT unis, but just make sure you're realistic and have some safe choices too. Remember rankings, prestige, reputation of the uni etc mean nothing for medicine, so no point applying to the more prestigious unis if you're unlikely to get an offer there (although looks like you've done some research and have your reasons for these choices). I recommend looking at websites to check you meet all entry requirements and that the admissions process suits you, e.g. no point applying to Cambridge without maths or physics as your third subject, Oxford is very GCSE-heavy so probably not worth applying without all 8/9s etc. Most unis (or colleges for oxbridge) will also have lists of the societies and sports teams on their website if you want to look at which ones have an Islamic soc or anything else you're interested in. Sorry I can't be of huge help, although IIRC @becausethenight goes to Imperial and might be able to help?

I am not a medic but i’d suggest you apply to both then make a decision.

Problem is competition - two BMAT unis is risky at the best of times without knowing your score.

Plus you can’t apply to both of Oxbridge

Not a medic but i guess clinical experience early on is really useful. Is probably like work experience and just shadowing junior doctors etc. That gives you a flavor of what you are letting yourself in for in the medical profession. Oxbridge having no clinical experience for 3 years means will be bit of a shock when you get to a hospital and also wont be as well rounded as Imperial.

However, just apply to both as it is not easy to get an offer from both and can decide later.

Heya! I'm in Y12 deciding which unis to apply to, and I am a bit torn here...
Personally the main factors I've been using as a means of deciding which unis I would like to go to are that I love clinical contact (so I'd really like to have that from the beginning) and I REALLLYY would lovee to do research. In terms of other stuff, there being an active Islamic Soc means a lot to me, and alsoo I'm obsessed with historical places which is why the London location is quite meh for me.

I visited Imperial at the recent open day and thought the course seemed amazing! I don't think I quite picked up how much clinical experience there is in the first year though... But there is definitely a huge emphasis on research which really suits me. The thing that puts me off with London unis is the city location though. The campus we saw was the South Kensington one which is actually a lovely location, but do medical students specifically spend a lot of time there?

The issue with oxbridge is the lack of clinical experience for 3 years for me, and also that, for personal reasons, I have to commute from home for uni and it'll be quite difficult for me to do otherwise, which doesn't work for oxbridge since you need to be on campus, right? But I love the location and their emphasis on research!

Long story short, if anyone who goes to imperial or oxbridge for med has any advice they could share about their experience at either of the unis, it would be really helpful! Thanks

Just to let you know, med students in their clinical years don't just shadow doctors, they learn and practice their clinical skills like taking blood etc, on my work experience (orthopaedic surgery), the surgeon even let the med student scrub in and assist with the surgery. In pre-clinical years on integrated (early clinical experience) courses, it might be more shadowing staff or listening to a patient's experience rather than actively doing, so maybe more like work experience except it will be taught and you would also learn skills like blood taking, probably on dummies first, but in general work experience is quite different to being a medical student! You're right about Oxbridge students being in for a bit of a shock though!

Yes they take blood or put a canulla or whatever in the patient. Then a bit of listening, observing and don’t annoy the staff. Is kind of like work experience with some tasks thrown in as they feel more confident in you. They not going to give you a patient and you to deal with everything on your own unless it is so minor and routine.